Author Notes:My original recipe for this dish, which was inspired by a restaurant meal I had, was as much work as it was delicious. I thought about how to streamline this recipe without sacrificing the fundamental charm of the combination and its assembly. And... voila! —Brian Coppola

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Serves 12 servings

1 1/3
cups Bob's Red Mill Polenta

1
tablespoon butter

2
tablespoons sage leaves

4
cups water

3
sweet onions, 1-inch chop

6
colored bell peppers, 1-inch chop

4
tablespoons tahini

1
tablespoon thyme

1
tablespoon paprika

1
tablespoon black pepper

4
tablespoons EVOO

2
pounds sweet Italian sausage (bulk)

2
eggs, beaten

1
tablespoon fennel seeds

1
tablespoon thyme

1
tablespoon paprika

1
teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

6
ounces grated parmigiano reggianno

8
ounces shredded mozzarella

Toss the peppers and onions to coat with the EVOO and tahini. Roast in a single layer, on a parchment lined pan, at 450F for 30 minutes.

Slowly add 1 1/3 cup of polenta to 4 cups of boiling water with 2T olive oil, simmer for 30 minutes with frequent stirring; mix in 2T butter and 2T sage leaves, and transfer to an oiled 9x12 baking dish and let sit to firm up, about 10 minutes.

When the vegetables are roasted, remove them to a bowl and toss with some EVOO, oregano, paprika, and black pepper.

Reduce the oven to 350F, and bake the sausage and the polenta side by side for about 30 minutes, until the sausage is browned with an internal temperature of 175F.

Remove the sausage and the polenta from the oven. Keeping the polenta layer in its dish, lift the entire cooked sausage layer and place it on top of the polenta. Spread the vegetables onto the sausage, and then top with the cheeses.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes until the cheeses start to brown. Remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 minutes. Slice with sharp motions using a large, flat spatula into 12 3x3 squares.